On Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Gary, Indiana law enforcement received an anonymous tip about an alleged dog fighting ring, and obtained a search warrant. A local news report said that the tip came from a person who had been to dog fights there, but started to feel guilty after working with pit bulls with Animal Control, and decided to turn the culprits in.
The search revealed a fighting area and dog fighting paraphernalia. Officers also found twenty kenneled dogs, including young puppies. The dogs had injuries consistent with dog fighting. Reports indicated that one dog was missing a large part of his lip, and another dog was missing an entire ear.
The raid let to arrests for four men – Brandon Peterson, Sammy Jones, Clifton Harris and Willie Hargrove. The four have been charged with felony dog fighting. In Indiana, that crime carries 6 months to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Due to this fact it only stands to reason that there should be a separate count for each dog seized in the raid.
We the undersigned respectfully request that Brandon Peterson, Sammy Jones, Clifton Harris, Willie Hargrove et al be charged with 1 count of dog fighting under IC 35-46-3-8 and IC 35-46-3-9.5 for EACH of the 20 dogs seized during the raid on a dog fighting ring in Gary, IN on July 7th 2011. To charge each man with a single count which only carries 6 months to 3 years penalty would be a slap in the face to animal advocates everywhere. It is time that individuals in Lake County as well as in the state of Indiana be sent a message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and not be punished lightly.
